Trust that God is with you each and every moment, whether you sense his presence or not. A thankful, trusting attitude helps you to see events in your life from his perspective. Resist your tendency to search for the easiest route through the day. Be willing to follow wherever he leads. No matter how steep or treacherous the path before you, the safest place to be is by his side. When you do that be ready and expect each day to contain surprises! Try to view each day as an adventure carefully planned out by your guide.
You may say that’s ridiculous, why should I try to view days like that when I feel anything but an adventure? Really you are surrounded by a sea of problems (trust me I’ve faced a few more than I thought I would this month), but you are face to face with God, your peace. As long as you focus on him, you are safe.
It took me a while to realize that God allows us to experience times of pure bliss and love so that we can truly feel what it is like to be blessed. To know that God is good and that He gives us so much that we tend to forget about; but as he gives, he also takes. But, when He does take it’s because we tend to put Him on the back burner. A person, our job, our most valued possession gets taken away because we have lost sight of the one hope in this world; our main goal.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3).
He takes so that we may turn back to Him. He takes so that we may learn to rest in the reassurance that we are in His hands and He is holding onto us and will never let go! He takes so that he can bless us even more so when the storm is passed. He wants to help us grow, learn, and see that there is always hope!
This month in Japan I found that I was trying to trouble myself too much of the daily things of what we should do, am I leading right, am I loving enough, am I sharing God’s light to those around me? I started to believe the lie from the enemy that I was wasting my time and that there wasn’t any point because the people here in Japan would never accept God and so my hope started to dwindle.
There in that moment, when all seems lost, is when we need it. Hope wasn’t meant for those who have all the momentum. Hope wasn’t designed for those who are on top of the world, hurtling forward like a train out of control. Hope operates best when we are down and out. Struck and slogging through the mud, and not making any progress. Like a beam of light in a dark tunnel, hope shines down and gives us a reason for one more step.
Sometimes that’s all that we can do, one step….
When it’s hard we need it. The fact that we can’t see our way is proof that we are in the right spot for hope to work. “For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all” (Romans 8:24). The hope that we have is not a vague feeling that the future will be positive, it is complete assurance of certain victory through Christ (Look at Ephesians 1:18).
God works in us through these times of pain and worry so that we can find hope, and be restored in him! For it says in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Even when all seems lost and there is nothing left in this world, this verse is a great reminder for me that in God all things- the good, the bad, the ugly- work for the good; His good!
He uses these times to restore us and to give us strength in the midst of our pain and struggles. In the midst of our suffering it may be true that God uses our pain for good but we tend to gear away from that truth. I know it seems hard to believe that we have to go through the low to get to the high. It seems odd to me still and yet I know it is true! We need to press on, we need to make the effort to take that one step to focus on the good things rather than on the bad. If we focus on the bad things in life and dwell on those, then we are missing out on everything else!
As C.S. Lewis puts it “pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world. God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way. For it is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of His presence.”
Learning to trust him when things go “wrong.” Disruptions to your routine highlight your dependence on him. Trusting acceptance of trials brings blessing that far outweigh them all. Learning to walk hand and hand with him through this day. He has lovingly planned every inch of the way. Trust does not falter when the path becomes rocky and steep. Breathe deep droughts of his presence and hold tightly to his hand. Together with him you can make it!
He is still there, watching and waiting; but you function as if you were alone. His light shines on every situation you will ever face. Live radiantly by expanding your focus to include him in all your moments. Let nothing dampen your search for him. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”–Jeremiah 29:13
We should be delighted about the opportunity to live each and every day. To take another breath and to learn one more thing about the character of God. We should want to move from dancing on the edge of heaven to be in heaven; to be all in for God through it all. Because God is good all the time, not just some of the time.
So let him displace worry at the center of your being. He is like a supersaturated cloud, showering peace into the pool of your mind. His nature is to bless. Our nature is to receive with thanksgiving. This is a true fit, designed before the foundation of the world. He is the goal of all our searching. When you seek him, you find him and are satisfied. When lesser goals capture your attention, he fades into the background of your life.
We need to step out of the darkness and into His marvelous light! So join me and step out of the darkness in your soul and step into the marvelous light that is burning warm and bright for me and you! Don’t be afraid to step into the destiny that God has for you! It may be hard, difficult, and challenging, but it is going to be the best time of your life because even when you lose, God always wins.
